Start selling: make the start easier, like this

[johnwash1]

When I click on 'Sell on eBid', the first thing I have to do is choose a category.

This is nuts! [cough] Er, sorry, what I mean is: this could be improved!

Sure, it's fine in many situations. If I want to list some stamps, obviously 'Stamps' is the right category. If I'm listing some books, 'Books, Comics & Magazines' is a no-brainer.

But this has been designed by a programmer. The first step, as far as a programmer is concerned, is to place the listing in a category and then drill down for additional detail. As a programmer myself I understand how natural this is. But the USER just knows about the item he wants to sell.

If I want to sell birthday cards, do I choose 'Sports Memorabilia & Cards' (supposing I even notice that category)? Probably not. Do I want 'Crafts'? My cards aren't handmade, so no. Maybe I want 'Whatever's Left'?

On another well known site the problem doesn't exist. The first thing I'm invited to do is ENTER MY (provisional) TITLE. And then the site SUGGESTS some appropriate categories. While also leaving me free to choose other categories.

For example, if I enter 'birthday cards' as my title I get suggestions:
* Home, Furniture & DIY > Celebrations & Occasions > Cards & Stationery
* Wholesale & Job Lots > Greeting Cards/Stationery
* Wholesale & Job Lots > Other Wholesale & Job Lots
* Crafts > More Crafts > Other Crafts

and I can also go instead to:
Recently used categories
Search categories
Browse categories


Please please please think about the problem from the USER's point of view.

[dough_4me]

Just signed up can you tell me how to bulk upload from a Shopify website?

[Anniemcc2]

Just signed up can you tell me how to bulk upload from a Shopify website?

Best get in touch with eBid Towers - support@ebid.net and they will advise.

HTH.

[theElench]

Possibly slightly off topic but another oddity when I start to list that isn't helpful is:

I'm invited to look at Recently Used Categories and there is a list of every category that I can remember using, except the one I use most often -- Art Deco Glass.

Other sub-categories of Pottery, Porcelain and Glass, that I've used perhaps once or twice, show up but for some reason Date Lined Glass > 1910 - 1939 > Art Deco never does. ???

[rocks2dust]

I'm invited to look at Recently Used Categories and there is a list of every category that I can remember using, except the one I use most often -- Art Deco Glass.

Other sub-categories of Pottery, Porcelain and Glass, that I've used perhaps once or twice, show up but for some reason Date Lined Glass > 1910 - 1939 > Art Deco never does. ???

Once you are running items in the various categories you commonly use, rather than using the Start Selling button, I find it much easier to locate an item under My eBid/Listings I'm Running and click the List Similar? link next to that item. At that point, all I need do is change the photos and/or any other relevant details.

There are also templates you can create under My eBid/My Defaults that include setting default categories.

[theElench]

Thankyou, but as I sell one-off items I have to change everything, with the possible exception of postage with every new listing. My point was that for some reason the particular Date Lined Glass sub-category never gets added to the Recently Used Categories list. If it were, it would save me a bit of time. As things are and with your suggestion, I either have to search for a category for each new listing or, if using Sell Similar have to delete every field and then re-populating it.

[johnwash1]

Thread hijacks. Don't you just love 'em.

[rocks2dust]

Still relevant. Once you've done a similar listing, you don't need to start over from scratch. Things like category, store, much of the description (including your terms of sale), number of days before auction/buy terminates, number of repeats, etc. will already be filled in.

BTW, almost all of my items are OOAK, and it is always MUCH faster to List Similar, replacing the photos and any information that differs, than it is to start a listing from scratch, which requires searching again through categories - even recent categories, etc. For spreadsheet and Ninja users, it is similarly more efficient to copy and paste rather than creating a new item from scratch.